U.S. patent number 6,555,152 [Application Number 09/744,342] was granted by the patent office on 2003-04-29 for process for the subdivision of a long tape or string of gummy product into single portions and device for carrying out said process.
Invention is credited to Paolo Roso.
United States Patent |
6,555,152 |
Roso |
April 29, 2003 |
Process for the subdivision of a long tape or string of gummy
product into single portions and device for carrying out said
process
Abstract
A process is disclosed for the subdivision of a relatively
elastic and gummy food product shaped as a continuous tape or
string (14), which is extruded or laminated, and advancing at a
predetermined speed on a conveyor (15), into a plurality of single
portions (14', 14") which are separated from one another by a
predetermined distance (X). The cutting operation of said tape or
string (14) is carried out by at least one blade (31, 31'), which
is suitable for penetrating into the mass of the tape or string
(14) and for causing the detachment of a portion (14', 14") of the
tape or string itself. The blade (31, 31'), follows a predetermined
trajectory (50) comprising a first stretch (51) wherein said tape
or string is cut, a second stretch (52) along the same advancement
direction of the tape or string, a third stretch opposite to the
advancement direction of the tape or string (14). Moreover the
blade runs along said second stretch (52) at a higher speed than
that of advancement of the tape or string (14); along said second
stretch (52) the blade (31, 31') stays in contact with the edge of
the portion (14', 14") of tape or string in order to separate the
portion itself of tape or string by a predetermined distance
(X).
Inventors: |
Roso; Paolo (I-36036 Valli Del
Pasubio, IT) |
Family
ID: |
11428599 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/744,342 |
Filed: |
January 23, 2001 |
PCT
Filed: |
July 19, 1999 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/IT99/00227 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO00/04791 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
February 03, 2000 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jul 23, 1998 [IT] |
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VR98A0067 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
426/516; 425/308;
425/316; 426/5; 426/518; 83/932 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23G
3/0247 (20130101); A23G 4/04 (20130101); Y10S
83/932 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A23G
3/02 (20060101); A23G 4/04 (20060101); A23G
4/02 (20060101); A23G 007/00 (); A23P 001/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;426/512,516,518,5
;83/932 ;425/308,316 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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196 16 640 |
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Nov 1997 |
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DE |
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1 354 505 |
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May 1974 |
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GB |
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2 122 131 |
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Jan 1984 |
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GB |
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MI97A 00027 |
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Jan 1997 |
|
IT |
|
Other References
International Search Report and references cited therein. .
Database WPI, Week 198418, Derwent Publications Ltd., London GB, AN
1984-112967..
|
Primary Examiner: Yeung; George C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A process for the subdivision of a relatively elastic and gummy
food product shaped as a continuous tape or string, which is
extruded or laminated, and advancing at a predetermined speed on a
conveyor into a plurality of single portions which are separated
from one another by a predetermined distance, comprising cutting
said tape or string by moving at least one blade for penetrating
inside the mass of the tape or string and for causing the
detachment of a portion of the tape or string itself, wherein said
at least one blade follows a predetermined trajectory comprising a
first stretch wherein cutting the tape or string is effected, a
second stretch along the same advancement direction of the tape or
string, a third stretch opposite to the advancement direction of
the tape or string, said at least one blade running along said
second stretch at a speed that is higher than the advancement speed
of said tape or string, whereby along said second stretch the body
of said at least one blade remains in contact with the edge of the
portion of tape or string for separating the portion of tape or
string by a predetermined distance, wherein said predetermined
trajectory has an elongated shape, and is further cyclical and
closed, with a major axis lying on a plane that is parallel to the
plane where the product to cut lies.
2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the cutting is
performed on a plane that is perpendicular to the plane whereon the
product to cut lines.
3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the cutting is
performed on a plane that is tilted with respect to a perpendicular
to the plane whereon the product lies.
4. The process according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein
the cutting of the product into portions is carried out on both
sides of the product itself with respect to the middle plane of
said tape or string.
5. The process according to claim 1, wherein at the moment when the
cutting of the product begins, the advancement speed of the tape or
string and the advancement speed of said at least one blade in the
same advancement direction as the tape or string are basically the
same.
6. A device for the subdivision of a food product which is
relatively elastic, gummy, shaped as a continuous tape or string
which is extruded or laminated, and advances on a conveyor at a
predetermined speed, into a plurality of single portions which are
separated from one another by a predetermined distance, comprising
at least one blade for penetrating inside the mass of the tape or
string and for causing the detachment of one portion from the tape
or string itself, comprising means for constraining said at least
one blade to a kinematic mechanism that forces said at least one
blade to follow a trajectory that is elongated, cyclical and
closed, said trajectory comprising a first stretch wherein the tape
or string is cut, a second stretch wherein said at least one blade
advances in the same direction as the tape or string, and a third
stretch wherein said at least one blade moves in the opposite
direction with respect to the advancement of the tape or string,
and in that along said second stretch the body of said at least one
blade remains in contact with the edge of the portion of tape or
string in order to separate said portion of tape or string by a
predetermined distance.
7. The device according to claim 6, wherein said kinematic
mechanism is driven by a connecting rod and crank mechanism
captioned by a driving shaft.
8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the kinematic mechanism
comprises a primary lever joined by one of its ends to an eccentric
pivot constrained to said driving shaft and by its other end to an
end of a blade-carrying lever to which the cutting blade is fixed,
said primary lever having its fulcrum on a first oscillating lever
which is pivoted onto a frame of said device.
9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the kinematic mechanism
further comprises a secondary lever which has its fulcrum on a
protrusion of said blade-carrying lever, an end of said secondary
lover being joined to an articulation of a second oscillating lever
which is pivoted onto the frame of said device, the other end of
said secondary lever being joined to a protrusion of said primary
lever by a joining bar.
10. The device according to anyone of claims 6 to 9, wherein it
comprises a couple of blades which are opposite to one another and
which are aligned with each other, each of which is motioned
starting from a kinematic mechanism driven by a connecting rod and
crank mechanism.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for the subdivision of a
long tape or string made of a gummy material into single portions;
in particular, the present invention relates to a process operated
in an industrial plant on a continuous basis, wherein an extruded
or laminated relatively elastic and gummy edible product having the
shape of a long tape or string is subdivided into a plurality of
single portions which are separated from one another by a
predetermined distance.
The present invention further relates to a cutting device for
carrying out said process.
The invention is particularly advantageously applicable to the food
industry.
STATE OF THE ART
In the food industry, some products of the type that includes
chewing-gum and several kinds of soft toffees, are obtained
starting from long tapes and/or strings coming out of a die-plate,
laminating rolls or an extruder.
Within this specific gamut of functions, there are found to be very
well known machine assemblies known with the name of "cut and
wrap", which schematically consist of a die-plate or of laminating
rolls, that shape the gummy mass as a tape and/or string, with a
cutting device adjacent thereto that is capable of subdividing said
string or tape into single pieces, together with a packing machine
that packages said single pieces, the tape or string lying on a
suitable conveyor that advances on a continuous basis.
The process is generally operated automatically, thanks to suitable
synchronisms between parameters given by product advancement and
cutting and packaging frequency of the single portions.
According to a form of embodiment known in the art, a device for
severing a gummy tape or string consists of rotating or multiple
blades located above the string which, moving downwards, carve the
material so much that they get to the complete severing to all
single pieces.
Such a system has some disadvantages related to its constructive
complexity and to the specificity of the product itself which, soft
and sticky as it is, makes the cutting action complicated,
remarkably limiting the speed of execution and the overall
productivity of the whole plant.
Italian patent application N. MI97A000027 discloses a device for
cutting single portions starting from a tape made of gummy
material.
Said device comprises a first drum with a relatively large
diameter, located above the conveyor on which the tape of product
to be cut advances at a constant speed, and a second drum, with a
relatively small diameter, which is located underneath said first
drum, exactly in correspondence with a gap between two adjacent
conveyors.
Drums are located at a predetermined distance from one another, so
that during their rotation in opposite directions, the tape of
product is dragged along and made to advance by the outside
surfaces of the drums themselves.
The upper drum is provided with a plurality of windows which are
located at predetermined distances from one another, whereas the
lower drum is provided with just one window.
A blade operates inside the upper drum, and moves following an
ellyptical trajectory whose longer axis is perpendicular to the
plane on which the product to cut advances. The movement is made
possible by a suitable dragging mechanism consisting of a couple of
epicyclic trains.
Thanks to a suitable choice of the speed of rotation of the
epicyclic trains--these are directly responsible for the speed of
the blade moving along its ellyptical path--and of the two drums,
the blade systematically ends up finding itself in a position that
corresponds with the two aligned windows of the drums; by moving
through these two windows the blade cuts the product that is
underneath it and is held still by the two drums.
Such a severing device has remarkable drawbacks and disadvantages
that limit its use.
First and foremost the system is very complicated from the
constructive point of view, therefore it is very costly; it has
also limits from a purely technical standpoint, as it does not make
it possible to reach high cutting rates, that is in the range of
1200-1500 or more pieces produced per minute because of the
remarkable mass and inertia of the several components, as well as
because of the objective difficulty found in obtaining a
synchronism that is perfect and continuously repeatable in time,
between the movement of the blade and the rotation of the two drums
that have their windows aligned with one another for the two way
passage of the blade only for an extremely short time lapse.
Furthermore, the fact that the drums must necessarily come in
contact with the severed product in order to push it forward
subjects the product to a further and not always desired
lamination, with further ensuing risks for the product to end up
sticking onto the surface of one of the drums.
Moreover, it should be remarked that the distance between two
windows of the same drum, measured as it is on the side surface of
the drum itself, univocally determines the sum of the length of the
product after cutting and of the free gap between said product
after cutting and the long tape of string advancing on the
conveyor.
Consequently, a machine of this type is subjected to further
constraints that limit its practical use: in fact, it is on one
side necessary for the peripheral speed of the first drum to be
anyway higher than the advancement speed of the tape or string on
the conveyor, this in order to make it possible for the severed
piece to be removed from the tape or string, whereas on the other
side, when an increase in production frequency is desired, it is
necessary to have a drum with a greater number of windows, thing
that very remarkably increases the drum size itself, consequently
its encumbrance and the overall costs of the machine.
Another similar machine is disclosed in document GB-A-2,122,131
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at proposing a process for severing and
subdividing into portions tapes or strings made of gummy products,
particularly in the field of the food industry, that is
constructively simple and makes it possible to reach very high
production rates.
The above aim has been accomplished thanks to putting into practice
the features described in the main independent claim.
The dependent claims outline particularly advantageous forms of
embodiment of the present invention.
A further aim of the present invention is that of proposing a
device for operating said process.
Said device is described in claim 6, and the claims that depend on
it outline some particularly advantageous forms of embodiment of
the device according to the invention.
The cutting action by carving the tape or string made of gummy
material is carried out by at least one blade; according to a
particularly advantageous form of embodiment of the present
invention, said cutting action is simultaneously carried out on two
opposite sides of the tape or string by a couple of cutting blades
that are opposite to one another.
According to an important feature of the process according to the
present invention, during the cutting phase said at least one
blade, besides being transversally motioned in order for it to
accomplish the slitting of the product, is simultaneously motioned
along the same longitudinal advancement direction of the tape or
string, this at a higher advancement speed of the tape or string of
product.
In so doing said at least one blade pushes forward the portion that
has just been cut on the conveyor, removing it from the tape or
string that advances by a distance that separates the pieces that
have undergone cutting, distance that is necessary for a correct
functioning of the packaging machine that is located downstream
from the cutting device.
Once the portion resulting from the cutting is removed from the
tape that advances on the conveyor by a certain distance, said at
least one blade is rapidly brought back to its cutting position in
order to get a new cycle started, whilst some pushers load the
piece of product after cutting over the gap and onto the conveyor
of the packaging machine next to it.
According to the present invention, said at least one cutting blade
follows a cyclic trajectory having an elongated shape, and this can
substantially be defined as ellyptical or "bean-shaped", the long
axis of said elongated shape being parallel with the plane of the
conveyor on which the product to cut is motioned.
In case the process according to the invention is carried out by a
cutting device that has a couple of blades one above the other and
mutually aligned on both sides with respect to the product to cut,
said blades are motioned along cyclical trajectories that are
mutually symmetrical, each of which having a shape of the above
defined type that they follow in opposite directions.
ILLUSTRATION OF DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will result
to be more easily understandable after reading the following
description, that is only given by way of a not limiting example,
with reference to the figures shown in the tables hereto attached,
in which:
FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a plant of a type which is
generally defined as "cut and wrap" for the lamination, cutting and
packaging of a gummy product like chewing-gum, soft toffees and
alikes, provided with a cutting device with a couple of blades
opposite to one another;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view from above of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 schematically show the consecutive working phases
of the cutting blades, respectively the beginning of the cutting
phase, the end of the cutting phase and the phase of removal of the
piece after cutting from the tape or string which advances;
FIG. 6 shows a schematic side view of a possible form of embodiment
of the motioning mechanism having a couple of cutting blades.
DESCRIPTION OF A FORM OF EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 generally shows a plant for
the working, cutting into portions and packaging of a gummy
product, for example chewing-gum or soft toffees or similar
products; such a plant is generally defined as a "cut and wrap"
plant and comprises a first laminating station 11 were a mass of
product coming from a manufacturing station is laminated between a
couple of rolls 12, 13, in order to obtain a continuous tape or
string 14 of product advancing along a suitable conveyor 15.
Downstream from the lamination station a second station 16 is
provided that is suitable for cutting and subdividing product 14
into portions; said second station 16 is the main object of the
present specification and is going to be more detailedly described
below.
Immediately downstream from cutting station 16 a third station 17
is found that causes an advancement of single portions 14', 14" . .
. of product, towards a conveyor 18, provided with a chain
advancement mechanism 19 provided with a plurality of pushers 20
that motion the potions of product towards a fourth packaging
station (not shown) for the single products.
In FIG. 6 the operating mechanism of station 16 is shown, that
accomplishes the cutting of product 14 and its subdivision into
portions one at a certain distance from the others, this in the
particular case in which said station 16 comprises a couple of
cutting groups 30, 30' opposite to each other and respectively
located above and below the tape or string of advancing product,
and provided with a couple of cutting blades 31, 31' opposite to
one another.
The following description specifically refers to cutting group 30.
It is also meant to refer to group 30', which is symmetrical to
group 30 with respect to horizontal plane A-A', that is the middle
plane of the tape or string of product advancing along the
conveyor.
Group 30 comprises a first oscillating lever 32, which is pivoted
in 33 onto the frame of group 30, as well as a second oscillating
lever 34, pivoted onto the frame of group 30.
The movement of blades 31, 31' is generated starting from a
connecting rod and crank system: primary lever 36 of said system
has an end 37 that is connected to an eccentric pivot 38 which is
itself connected to a driving shaft 39.
Consequently, primary lever 36 receives the portion of shaft 39 and
moves along a circumference having its centre in 39; furthermore,
such a primary lever 36 is hinged onto an articulated joint 40 of
said first oscillating lever 32; therefore the rotary movement of
driving shaft 39 is accountable for the repeated oscillation having
a predetermined amplitude--for example in the 10.degree.-15.degree.
range with respect to the vertical line--of lever 32 around a fixed
pivot 33.
Blade 31 is rigidly constrained to an end of blade-bearing lever
41, whose other end is connected to fulcrum 42 of said primary
lever 36.
Said blade-bearing lever 41 has furthermore a protrusion 43 in
correspondence with which secondary lever 44 of the kinematic
motion under consideration has its fulcrum.
Said secondary lever 44 is connected at one end 45 and by dint of a
bar 46, with a protrusion 47 of the primary lever 36, whereas at
the other end 48 it is connected to second oscillating lever
34.
The functioning of said kinematic motion is determined starting
from the rotation of driving shaft 39, because of a cyclic
trajectory with an elongated shape followed by blade 31 and
constrained to blade-bearing lever 41, this thanks to the
combination of the movements of primary lever 36, whose fulcrum is
at 40, and the oscillation of lever 32 around pivot 33, whereas the
other levers described above (34, 44, 46) essentially fulfill the
role of closing the articulated kinematic motion.
As it was detailed previously, such a configuration is
symmetrically repeated for lower group 30'.
Consequently, blade 31 is forced to move along a first trajectory
50, whereas blade 31' simultaneously moves along symmetrical
trajectory 50'.
In FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 there are found to be shown in greater detail
the behaviour and functions of respective blades 31, 31' along
cyclical trajectories 50, 50'.
With particular reference to those figures, it can be noticed that
respective blades 31, 31' are vertically aligned with one another
and they are found on both sides of tape or string 14 to cut and
subdivide into portions 14', 14" by a certain distance from one
another.
In FIG. 3 there is found to be represented the beginning of the
cutting phase with portion 14' of tape or string 14 of product
which is still joined to the tape or string itself and located
downstream from open blades 31 and 31', which at this point advance
at the same speed as tape or string 14.
Aftewards blades 31, 31' approach each other and bore deeply into
the product, until (FIG. 4) they reach a situation wherein they are
touching each other, that is basically in correspondence with the
middle line of the product.
On moving from the position shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG.
4, blades 31 and 31' have also got a longitudinal advancement
motion with a direction and intensity that equal the advancement
motion kept by tape or string 14, therefore the first stretch of
cyclical trajectory 50 consists of an arc 51 shown in bold lines in
FIG. 4, besides the mutually opposite movement, one towards the
other that is, which is necessary in order to accomplish the
cutting of the product.
After that, on moving from the position held in FIG. 4 to the
protrusion shown in FIG. 5, blades 31 and 31' increase the
advancement speed and follow trajectory 52, shown in bold in FIG.
5; at this stage portion 14' is accelerated by the push exerted by
respective blade bodies 31, 31', and is then separated by a
predetermined distance X from the tape or string 14, which instead
advances with a constant speed.
In such a way, at the end of the third phase shown in FIG. 5, a
part of the string itself is already positioned in the cutting
area.
Advantageously during this phase blades 31 and 31' reach a certain
mutual distance, therefore second stretch 52 of the cyclic
trajectory consists of a slightly sloping line.
The return of blades 31 and 31' to their initial position takes
place in the contrary stretch of cyclic trajectory 50 running in an
opposite direction, which can be differently shaped with respect to
what shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, and have for example a shape such
as that shown in FIG. 6.
Finally, the two opposite blades can be positioned so as to be
slightly tilted with respect to the vertical line, this in order to
accomplish a better penetration into the gummy product, depending
on the physical features of the mass of gummy product to be
subdivided into portions.
Experimental trails have shown that it is possible to form an angle
of up to 3.degree. with the vertical line.
As shown above, each of blades 31 and 31' has a trajectory that
comprises a stretch having the same direction as that of the
advancement of the tape or string 14 to cut, and a stretch in a
direction which is opposite to that of said advancement.
More specifically the stretch with the same direction consists of
two distinct types of movement of the blades 31, 31'.
A first type of movement shown with reference numeral 51, is
substantially shaped as an arc, along which the carving and cutting
of the tape or string 14 takes place, and the two blades are
brought from their outermost position to a position of mutual
contact along the middle line of the string or tape itself.
The second stretch, shown with reference numeral 52, has a
direction which is substantially rectilinear and advantageously. It
is also slightly tilted, along which the blades 31 and 31' reach a
certain mutual distance in a progressive fashion, and they
furthermore increase their advancement speed in order to accomplish
the separation phase of the portion that has already been cut from
the rest of the tape or string.
The stretch in the direction which is opposite to the trajectory of
the blades is also the return phase of the blades themselves to
their initial position and because it is not influential for the
positive outcome of the cutting, it can have several different
shapes, from substantially rectilinear to variously shaped,
depending on the length of said stretch running in the opposite
direction.
The mechanism necessary for the motioning of the two blades along
the cyclic trajectories described above can be conformed in
different ways; however, it is preferably made of an articulated
lever based structure.
The present invention was previously described with reference to
one of its preferred forms of embodiment.
However, the present invention is susceptible to feature several
variants within its mechanical equivalences.
By way of example, according to a further form of embodiment of the
present invention (which is not shown in the figures) the cutting
of the tape or string 14 occurs by dint of just one blade 30 that
carves the product until the moment when the complete detachment of
one portion of the tape or string itself is accomplished.
In such a case, the trajectory followed by the blade is deeper
compared with that shown with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5;
however, the principle which the attainment of such a trajectory is
based on, as well as in order to obtain an accelerated removal of
portion 14' separated from tape or string 14' is the same as that
described above.
It is important to remark that the process for cutting described
above makes it possible to obtain a series of important advantages
with respect to the processes of the state of the art.
In fact, the process according to the invention makes it possible
to obtain very high cutting frequencies namely typically in the
range between 1200 and 1500 pieces per minute; the values shown are
to be considered as indicative, mostly in so far as the upper limit
is concerned, and forms of embodiment of the invention are
conceivable that make it possible to obtain cutting frequencies
that are higher than those given above.
Moreover, the cutting process according to the present invention is
carried out without using external means, such as for example the
drums described in the italian patent application cited above, that
come directly to contact the product to cut, and that give way to
mechanical types of constraints which are extremely difficult to
overcome.
The greater cost-effectiveness of the cutting station according to
the present invention, as compared with that described in the
italian patent application cited above, results to be clearly and
absolutely evident to a person skilled in the art.
* * * * *